USC seeking an encore performance vs. Clemson

The Gamecocks have won three straight against their in-state rival, and have been one of the few teams to slow the explosive Tigers in the past two seasons.

By ERIC BOYNTONeric.boynton@shj.com

South Carolina disrupted and locked down Clemson's offense last season like few have been able to do in the nearly two seasons that Chad Morris has been running the Tigers' fast-paced attack.USC defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward hopes his team can produce an equally impressive encore when the two tangle once again Saturday, and expects to face an even quicker succession of plays than last year, partly due to homefield advantage.“The style of offense they play isn't as suited for the road if you're in a loud environment and I think that affects the pace of the game,” Ward said during Tuesday's news conference. “So I think the pace will be way faster than last year because I think our home crowd did a great job and they had to make sure they were getting in the right plays at the line of scrimmage which gave us a chance to get in the right defense. I think it will be a totally different tempo for them playing at home and we have to be prepared for that.”The Gamecocks dominated Clemson 34-13 in last year's matchup when they harassed quarterback Tajh Boyd into his worst day as a collegiate quarterback. Boyd completed only 11 of 29 passes for 83 yards and was held to negative-23 rushing yards while being sacked five times.Vaunted receiving duo Sammy Watkins and DeAndre Hopkins were held to a combined seven catches for 63 yards and never found the end zone. The Tigers were held to only 153 yards on 60 plays, including only 72 yards and three points in the second half.Ward conceded that once again the key to it all is getting to Boyd and disrupting his rhythm.“We know it and they probably know we've got to find a way to affect the quarterback,” Ward said. “If we can do that we'll have a chance; if not, it's going to be a long day.”Boyd is coming off a record-setting eight touchdown responsibilities (five passing and three rushing) in Saturday's ACC finale against North Carolina State when the Tigers gained 754 yards on 102 plays. As much attention as Clemson's passing attack garners, Ward said its balance of running and throwing can get lost in the shuffle — especially Boyd's increased ability to run. The guy once referred to as “Fat Boy” by his teammates has slimmed down considerably.“I think (Clemson's offense) is even faster this year than it was last year,” Ward said. “I think Tajh is running his system very well and you look at it and think they throw the ball a lot, but they run it just as much as they throw it. They're balanced and he's doing a great job of running the scheme right now. I'm sure they'll have a very fast tempo playing at home without the crowd noise.“The difference between this year and last year is they're running Tajh more than they ever did. He's much more of a run threat, which means you've got to dedicate more people to the box. I think that's put a lot more stress on defenses.“There are a lot of moving parts to this offense and that's part of what they try to do is get you looking at all those moving parts. But we've just got to make sure we put our eyes in the right place and execute the defenses called and we'll be fine.”Ward acknowledged that Clemson likely possesses the best skill players USC has seen all season. Of course, right there with Florida State, the lone team to defeat the Tigers, the hosts will be seeing as good a defense as they've seen all year.The onus on getting to Boyd falls on a talented defensive front led by end Jadeveon Clowney and 6-foot-8 senior Devin Taylor, who is looking to finish strong after many believe he under-achieved this season. Clowney didn't play last week against Wofford, but Ward expects his star to be ready to roll after a Monday MRI revealed a bruised kneecap.“I thought he was going to play last week,” Ward said. “If he plays I expect him to be (the normal) Jadeveon Clowney.”